Sugarcookiessouthafrica Recipes

CLASSIC SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Beat 2 sticks butter, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar until fluffy. Beat in 2 egg yolks, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 teaspoon orange zest. Whisk 2 1/4 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt; stir into the butter mixture, then chill 30 minutes. Roll tablespoonfuls into balls and flatten; sprinkle with coarse sugar and bake 15 to 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST SUGAR COOKIES RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Make the cookie dough: In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and cream cheese with an electric hand mixer on high speed for about 5 minutes, until fluffy and the sugar is mostly dissolved. Scrape down the bowl as needed to evenly beat the mixture.
• Add the egg, egg yolks, vanilla, and almond extract and mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
• Add the salt, then sift the flour, baking powder, and cream of tartar into the bowl and fold to incorporate some of the flour. Then beat on low speed, just until incorporated and the dough comes together.
• Shape the dough into a flat disc and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or up to 3-4 days.
• When ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350˚F (180˚C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Remove the dough from the fridge and let sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften slightly.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the cookie dough with a rolling pin to ¼-inch (6mm) thick.
• Dip cookie cutters of your choice in some extra flour and cut out shapes from the dough. Gather any excess dough into a ball and chill in the fridge to firm, then re-roll and cut out more cookies. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet and chill for at least 20 minutes to ensure they hold their shapes.
• Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges just barely start to turn golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack before decorating with royal icing or frosting.
• To make the royal icing, sift the powdered sugar into a large bowl and add the salt. On one side of the bowl, add the vanilla and egg whites.
• Where you added the liquids, begin whisking the powdered sugar into the liquids, gathering a bit more as you whisk to prevent lumps from forming, until all of the powdered sugar is incorporated. Add food coloring, if desired, and whisk to incorporate. You can divide the icing into smaller bowls to make more than one color. At this point, the icing should be a good consistency for piping borders. If you'd like the frosting to be looser to flood or dip your cookies, add a few tablespoons of water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency.
• Decorate the cookies as desired.
• Enjoy!

SUGAR COOKIES (SOUTH AFRICA)

Steps:

• Preheat oven 400°F.
• In bowl, cream butter and shortening. Add cloves, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and orange peel. Mix well.
• Beat in eggs, sugar, and almonds.
• In another bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Add to butter mixture alternately with the brandy and wine.
• Chill dough for about 30 minutes to an hour, or until firm enough to roll.
• Turn chilled dough out on a floured board and roll until the dough is very thin.
• Using pastry cutters, cut the dough into desired shapes.
• Bake on greased cookie sheets for 10-15 minutes, or until nicely browned.

SOETKOEKIES - SWEET WINE AND SPICE SOUTH AFRICAN COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray two baking sheets with cooking spray. Sift the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt together and set aside.
• In a deep bowl, cream the butter and the dark-brown sugar together, mashing and beating them against the sides of the bowl until they are thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, then add the flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. Beat in the wine and chopped almonds.
• With your hands, vigorously knead the dough in the bowl until it can be gathered into a somewhat firm, compact ball. If the dough then seems too soft, knead in up to 1/4 cup more flour, adding it a tablespoon or so at a time.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a rough circle about 1/4 inch thick. With a cookie cutter or the rim of a glass, cut it into 2-inch rounds. Arrange the rounds about 1 inch apart on the buttered baking sheets. Then gather the scraps of dough into a ball, roll it out into another circle, and cut out rounds as before.
• Press a blanched almond half lightly into the center of each Soetkoekie and brush the entire top surface of the cookie with the beaten egg white-and-water mixture.
• Bake the cookies in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes, or until they are crisp and firm to the tough. With a wide metal spatula, transfer the cookies to a rack to cool. The cookies will keep for up to two weeks in a tightly covered jar.

AFRICAN COFFEE BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 2 baking sheets.
• Combine butter and sugar in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
• Stir boiling water and coffee powder in a small bowl until coffee is dissolved. Stir in apricot jam. Mix into the creamed butter mixture.
• Stir milk and baking soda in a small bowl until baking soda is dissolved. Add vanilla extract. Stir into the creamed butter mixture.
• Combine cake flour and salt in a bowl; add to the creamed butter mixture. Stir well until a dough forms.
• Fill a cookie press with dough. Pipe dough onto the baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool.